Health Wellness ProgramHealth and Wellness Programs and Wellness Program Consulting

It is obvious to most Americans (especially those of us in business) that health care expenditures are skyrocketing out of control. No one doubts that either the market will solve the problem OR the government will impose one on us. Managed care has failed from either a cost containment or quality of care perspective. Employers have reached the point where the expense of providing medical insurance is almost as burdensome as government regulation. It’s time for some new thinking on health care and its impact on business and vice versa. “Corporate wellness” as an operational perspective instead of merely window dressing is one way to deal effectively with rising health care expenditures.

The Insurance Delimma

The first step in correcting the concern is to realize that an employee’s health is their own responsibility. Expecting employers to provide unlimited medical insurance coverage is simply unrealistic and unreasonable. It’s time for employers (on a broad scale) to reconsider their role in offering medical insurance coverage. Instead of offering complete coverage for all workers through group plans, employers ought to start to modify the burden of health coverage to those covered.

Here’s the approach. Provide catastrophic health insurance as a group benefit to all staff members with a sizable enough deductible (say $5000 per employee) to make the expense affordable for the business. Then, allow staff members to buy their own health insurance policies (based on their own needs) and pay for them through payroll deduction with pre-tax earnings. There are numerous insurance businesses that sell individual plans on this basis. Everybody wins. Staff Members can tailor their coverage to their own needs and circumstances using their own doctors. Organizations win by stopping the endless cycle of rising costs and ever-changing plans. And when people become responsible for the expense of their own insurance, they become more attentive to their own health. Besides, if an employee is interested in working for you ONLY because your business offers great insurance benefits aren’t they telling you they’re going to cost you more money in the future?

Organize a “Wellness Culture”

Our current “sickness culture” perpetuates the health care crisis and hastens the demise of market-based solutions. By sickness culture, I mean our focus on health problems rather than on having a healthy workplace and performance culture.

So, what would a “wellness culture” look like? First, rather than paid sick days, employees might be rewarded at year’s end with an attendance bonus. Workers would be reimbursed for efficacious completion of tobacco cessation and weight-loss programs. Employers would invest in corporate memberships at local health clubs so every employee can take part. Workers would be available in-house wellness programs on a variety of concerns ranging from ergonomics to stress management. Finally, employers would commit to hiring and retaining healthy employees. Simply put, healthy employees cost less and are more productive than unhealthy ones. Applicants ought to be screened for health habits and practices that limit their productiveness and increase the likelihood of future expense. While this may seem harsh, it rewards those employees whose personal lifestyle and habits make sure the best Return on Investment by the business committing to hire, train and pay them.

Be open to “alternative and complementary” approaches

Studies published in major medical journals reveal that people who use “alternative and complementary” health modalities (including chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga and massage) are generally healthier, better educated, take fewer medications and miss fewer days from work than the average American. Since these people look for ways to stay healthy without prescription drugs and surgery, they end up being a net benefit in terms of attendance and work rate. Old prejudices in this area must be discarded in order for corporations to better work rate and increase profitability

Conclusion

Medical Care expenditures are growing at a staggering pace. Managed care is an abysmal failure. Companies are buckling under the pressure of offering health coverage to their employees. American competitiveness in the market is sagging. These times call for extraordinary solutions. It’s time for American employers to consider some out-of-the-box solutions to the health care crisis. Business wellness is an approach that is timely, achievable and reasonable given the alternatives. All options ought to be considered while we still have a chance.